Rich can pull shorter pieces from his feature-length plays and has a number of short pieces that can stand alone. He can also customize or create a piece from scratch, depending on your needs and his available time.
Songs of Revival: Hungry After God Himself, is designed to be one hour but to invite people to continue to worship as long as they want to stay. We've found people want to linger even after seeing five to ten minutes of stories from the Welsh and Asbury Revivals.
Semiquincentennial Pastors is a series of pieces about pastors who helped found America. As our nation's 250th birthday approaches, he's developing dramas about John Witherspoon, a Scottish pastor who signed the Declaration of Independence and was the sixth president of what would become Princeton University. The other drama is slated for a performance at a private event, and details will be revealed later. The pieces can stand alone or be combined. Each is about seven minutes.
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| Rich performing Journey to the Garden in Amman, Jordan. |
Running time: 15-60 minutes.
"The Fall" is a one-act, one-person play based on scenes from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables in which a released convict steals from a Bishop and is pardoned. This piece was featured on the main stage of Seminar in the Rockies, where Rich opened for Margaret Becker, Bob Carlisle, and Fernando Ortega, among others. Rich adapted it as an audio drama and performed all voices except The Bishop (Broadway’s George Merritt) and Jean Valjean (Rob Evan who played Jean Valjean on Broadway) for Stage Shadows. Running time: 30 minutes.
"Mkulunqanda: The Great Beginner" shows Harmon Schmelzenbach, the first Nazarene missionary in Swaziland as he makes inroads into a land where the queen vowed that no missionaries would live. 10.5 minutes.
"Hudson Taylor Invests in China" reveals the strategies the founder of the China Inland Mission (now Overseas Missionary Fellowship International) had in his days as a student. 6.5 minutes.
| Rich performed a simpler version of "The Lamb of God" in the Jordan River near where it is believed that John the Baptist baptised Jesus. |
"La Gente Que Jesús Conoció" means “the people that Jesus knew.” This piece tells the Passion of Jesus through the eyes of those who’s lives were impacted by Him. Rich wrote this piece in Spanish for the children of Compassion in Bolivia, when he went on an artists’ visit there in 2000. The piece can be performed in English or Spanish, but Rich recommends Spanish with translation helps from Compassion children from Honduras that he met on his last artists’ trip to Guatemala. He's also performed the piece in Honduras and Cuba. Running time: 7 minutes
"Loyalty" is a dramatic exploration of the letter to Pergamum in Revelation. It brings to life the tension of living in a culture that is not friendly to those loyal to Jesus. Running time: 25 minutes.
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| Rich performs "The Prophet of Fear" atop Mt. Carmel, Israel. |
"The Legend of Billy Branch" is a comic look at the parable of the Vine and the branches. Running time: 7 minutes.
Five Poems of George Herbert were performed by Rich at the Kennedy Center between microtonal pieces Patrick Kavanaugh composed based on the poems. Linn Maxwell was the featured soloist. Running time: 8 minutes
"The Move" tells the story of Abram’s call to leave his hometown and move to...New York City. The piece was published in Handbook for Multi-Sensory Worship--Book and CD-ROM. Running time: 7 minutes.
"Jonah," though the central piece of Big Fish Little Worm, can be used on its own. Because of the water theme of the piece, it has been performed on shores. Once, Rich performed the piece on Lake Michigan. When Jonah pointed to Ninevah, he was pointing to Chicago! Running time: 20 minutes.
"Sheepish," part of Big Fish Little Worm, tells how Gideon hears God’s voice and responds...eventually. Running time: 7 minutes.
"The Potter," part of Big Fish Little Worm, tells how God molded Jeremiah, the “Weeping Prophet.” Running time: 7 minutes.
"Lazarus," by Sean Gaffney (Rich has written the others), is a part of Big Fish Little Worm. It is a comedic piece detailing the events of Lazarus, as he awakes to his own stench. Running time: 7 minutes.
"The Covenant Keeper" is a part of Views of the Manger, but it can work all year ‘round on its own. It tells how Abram has to make a vow. If he fails to keep his end of the covenant his body will be cut up...or will it? Running time: 10 minutes.
"The New King" is a part of Views of the Manger. The three wise men have arrived to pay homage to the new king, but the old king, Herod, isn’t too thrilled. Running time: 8 minutes.
Bring Rich and Joyce to The Holy Land! If your group is planning a trip to the Holy Land, consider bringing Rich and/or his wife Joyce Swingle along. Joyce is a marvelous preacher and teacher, who can bring spiritual insight at each stop on the journey. Rich can perform the stories of Elijah on Mt. Carmel, Gideon at Gideon Springs, Jonah at Joppa, Journey to the Garden in The Garden, Views of the Manger at the Manger, The Revelation on the Isle of Patmos, scenes from The Acts: Peter's Trip to Caesaria by the Sea at Ceasarea by the Sea's amphitheatre, Peter's declaration at Caesarea Philipi at Caesarea Philipi and The Ascension on the Mt. of Olives. Rich has even figured out how to portray Peter walking on the Sea of Galillee. Rich can also write new pieces based on your itinerary to be performed by himself, or he can direct your group in performing them.
"The Potter," part of Big Fish Little Worm, tells how God molded Jeremiah, the “Weeping Prophet.” Running time: 7 minutes.
"Lazarus," by Sean Gaffney (Rich has written the others), is a part of Big Fish Little Worm. It is a comedic piece detailing the events of Lazarus, as he awakes to his own stench. Running time: 7 minutes.
"The Covenant Keeper" is a part of Views of the Manger, but it can work all year ‘round on its own. It tells how Abram has to make a vow. If he fails to keep his end of the covenant his body will be cut up...or will it? Running time: 10 minutes.
"Guess What?" is a part of Views of the Manger. Gabriel brings Mary the good news, but there’s a reason he told her, “fear not.” Running time: 6 minutes.
"What!?" is a part of Views of the Manger. By the time the news reaches Joseph, the angel really has to do a hard sell. Running time: 8 minutes.
"Something Leaps Inside Us All" is a part of Views of the Manger. Zechariah gets his voice back in time to tell how Gabriel appeared to him, announcing they'd give birth to John the Baptist. Running time: 13 minutes.
"Harvey Silverstein," written by Mac Nelson, is a part of Views of the Manger. The innkeeper and his wife have no idea who they're putting out in their stable, but they're about to find out. Running time: 6 minutes.
"The New King" is a part of Views of the Manger. The three wise men have arrived to pay homage to the new king, but the old king, Herod, isn’t too thrilled. Running time: 8 minutes.
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| Peter restored on the shore of The Sea of Galilee |
Here's Rich walking on water...
I was blown away by your performance in "Sheepish"....it was amazing!!! YouTube doesn't do you or the power of the play justice, it has to be experienced live. It was fantastic and I loved it. Do yourself and your audience a favor and book Rich Swingle. He is a true master of his craft who brought God's word in the story of Gideon to life in a way you must see to appreciate.
--Mark Den Bleyker
Producer of the Hollywood Divine International Christian Film Festival
--Mark Den Bleyker
Producer of the Hollywood Divine International Christian Film Festival
Jonah, JONAH!!! Wow. We laughed so hard! Our eldest was close to the stage when the whale "vomited" Jonah out. He could not believe how high you jumped from all fours! Slapping each other with the fish was GREAT! Everybody laughed and thought that was great. Thank you so much for putting character and skin to the Bible. We seriously hope to see you again.
Blessings,
--Zack and Dawn and children
San Antonio, TX
God bless you Rich! I mean those words more ever before since the Christians in Theatre Arts Conference in Puerto Rico last Summer. My brain exploded seeing you perform "La Gente Que Jesús Conoció." I have been keeping up with your postings, and I'm inspired by the work you're doing and I truly pray blessings over you and your ministry and your family!
--Hezir Aguero
Rochester, NY
For more comments about Rich's work visit our Quotes.
If you've seen any of Rich's short pieces, feel free to leave a comment below...
Rochester, NY
For more comments about Rich's work visit our Quotes.
If you've seen any of Rich's short pieces, feel free to leave a comment below...
